Illustrated by Jenny Løvlie
3 stars
On the fence about this one. I loved the ways that Winnie’s teacher recognizes Winnie’s needs and finds ways to involve the whole class in meeting those needs together. They all participate in fun activities and in the process connect with Winnie.
However, the basis of the book relies on comparing people with Sensory Processing Disorder to animals. While many are based on idioms (“bull in a china shop”, “squirrelly”, “monkeying around”), the initial descriptions (“howled like a hyena”, “chomped like a piranha”) can be dehumanizing, especially since the story is narrated by one of Winnie’s classmates rather than Winnie herself. We don’t actually see Winnie’s perspective or how she’s feeling in the moment, just her outward actions.
The story itself was nice and I liked the creative ways to meet different needs, from being wrapped up in a blanket cocoon to building a cozy fort to rest in. But the initial animal descriptors were a little unsettling given the dehumanizing history of people with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, or those otherwise seen as “different”. This was obviously not the intention but it just didn’t quite sit right for me.
Cute illustrations. Loved the diverse representations, especially in terms of disabilities (wheelchair use, hearing aids, eyepatches). (As a Moomin fan, I also adore the Little My figure shown on the shelves.)
Includes a note at the end with more details on how to meet different sensory needs, from calming the nervous system to body awareness to thrill-seeking.
Overall, a nice book. I do think it could be helpful for caregivers in finding ways to meet children’s sensory needs in a variety of settings. Could also be used to bring some awareness of sensory needs to neurotypical children as well give kid-friendly terms for specific sensory needs for children with Sensory Processing Disorder.